Dust guard cover



Patented Jan. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DUST GUARD COVER Application February 2, 1937, Serial No. 123,617

3 Claims.

This invention relates to journal boxes particularly of the type employed in railway cars in which the end of a car axle extends through one end ofthe box and is journaled therein.

In the end of the journal box throughwhich the car axle extends there is provided a well which is open at the top of the box and which extends vertically downwardly around the car axle. This well is provided for carrying adust guard adapted to engage the side walls of the well and to fit around and engage the car axle in order to prevent cinders or other foreign matter from entering the journal box through the opening in the axle end thereof. This dust guard is inserted into the well through the top open end thereof before the journal box is applied to the car axle.

Dust guards of the type just described do not, however, prevent foreign matter entering the top open end of the well and such foreign matter is liable to work on past the dust guard into the journal box and one object of the present invention is to provide improved means adapted to be applied to a journal box for closing the open end of the well in order to obviate this difliculty.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved relatively simple and inexpensive cover for the dust guard well of journal boxes which can be readily applied to the journal box and removed therefrom at will, and which can be repeatedly used.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section of a journal box showing my improved dust guard well cover applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1 and showing a longitudinal section of ,my improved cover; and Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of my improved cover.

As shown in the drawing, the journal box I is of the usual construction having at the inner end an opening 2 through which the car axle 3 extends into the box.

The box i is provided at the inner end with the usual vertical slot or well 4 which is open at its upper end and in which there is disposed a dust guard 5 having an outerannular portion 6 engaging the opposite side walls of the well 4 and an inner peripheral lip-like portion 1 engaging the car axle 3 for preventing entrance of foreign matter through the opening 2 into the journal box. The dust guard 5 is provided with I oppositely disposed ears or lugs 8 adapted to en- (c1. ass-s) gage the end walls of the well 4 upon rotation of the axle 3 relative to the box I in order to prevent the dust guard 5 from'turning with the axle.

The upper open end of the well 4 is closed by a 5 cover 9 which embodies the invention. The cover 9 is a relatively thin, long, rectangular shaped element made of any suitable material such as a rubber composition and adapted to engage the box around the periphery of the well 4 so as to effectively seal the open end of the well against the entrance of foreign matter. The cover 9 is provided on the lower side with a thickened portion I 0 which loosely fits into the open end of the well 4, and extending lengthwise through this thickened portion is a flexible spring element Ii preferably made of piano wire or the like inbedded therein in the process of manufacture. The spring H is provided at each end 20 with an off-set portion l2 spaced from the inside face of the cover 9, and each of these 01!- set portions is adapted to extend into a recess l3 provided in the respective end wall of the well 4. The recesses [3 are preferably in the form 25 of bores which are drilled through the end wall of the well from the outside of the journal box I.

The spring element II is so formed and located in the cover 9 that when the cover is removed from the box and free, it will be bowed outwardly or assume a concave shape with the offset po'rtions I2 of the spring element It on the convex side, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. Thus when the cover is applied to the journal box the spring element ll will act to press it into engagement therewith over the open end of the well 4.

To apply the cover 9to the journal box, the ofi-set portion l2 at one end of the spring II is inserted into the recess i3 at one end of the well. The central portion of the cover is then sprung to reverse the concavity thereof sufliciently to permit the oil-set portion net the other end .of the spring to be entered into the recess l3 at the other end of the well. The cover is then let goof and the spring ll pulls same into sealing engagement with the portion of the box sur'-' rounding the open end of the well andin this position acts to prevent foreign matter entering said well. To remove the cover 9 from the box the above operations are just reversed, as will be'evident.

From the above description it will be evident that a relatively simple and inexpensive cover is provided for effectively sealing the open end II oi the dust guard wells in Journal boxes against the entrance of ioreign matter, and this cover may be readily applied to and removed from Journal boxes and may be repeatedly used, if desired. Further, the improved cover is readily applicable to journal boxes now in use by the mere drilling of the two holes II for receiving the oil'set ends I! of the spring element ll.

While one illustrative embodiment of the invention has been described in detail, it is not the intention to limit the scope to that embodiment or otherwise than by the terms 01' the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A cover for closing the open end 01' the dust guard well of a Journal box 'in which a recess is provided in each end wall of the well, said cover comprising a flexible rectangular shaped member engaging said box over the open end or said well, a normally concave shaped spring element extending lengthwise of and secured to said memher, one end of said element being adapted to engage in one of said recesses and the other end in the other recess, said spring element being tensioned when one end is in engagement in one of said recesses and the other end is in engagement in the other recess whereby said member is urged into engagement with said box, the ends of said spring element being movable out of said recesses upon flexing said element to permit removal of said member from said box.

2. A cover for closing the open end of the dust guard well of a Journal box in which a recess is provided in each end wall of the well, said cover comprising a resilient, rectangular shaped mem- 2 l l auaaso ber normally curvedto provide a convex has and adapted to be secured to a iournal boxwith the normally convex face ensuing said box over the open end of the well for closing same, means at both ends of said cover oibset from the normally convex iace thereof and spaced apart a distance such as to engage said box within said recesses when said cover is substantially straight, bowing 01' said cover so that the normally convex face thereof becomes concave being adapted to reduce the distance between said means to a degree suiilcient to permit application-oi said cover to and removal from said box.

3. A cover for closing the open end of the dust guard well 01' a journal box having a recess in both end walls of the well, said cover comprising a flexible, rectangular shaped, moulded member adapted to engage said box over the open end oi the wall, a spring wire embedded in said member and extending longitudinally through the center of said member and bent to provide a normally convex side adjacent the box engaging face of said member, the ends of said wire extending out through the box engaging face 01 said member and being bent to form at both ends an oil-set portion spaced from the box engaging face of said member and from each other so as to engage said box within said recesses upon substantial straightening of said wire for holding said member in engagement with said box, said cover flexing with said wire and being adapted when said wire is bowed oppositely to its normal convex shape to position said oil-set portions to permit application of said cover to and removal thereof from said box.

PERRY E. YANCEY. 

